The applicant claims and requests a foreign priority, through the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, based on a patent application filed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the filing date of Feb. 20, 2002, with the patent application number 20-2002-0005029, by the applicant. (See the attached Declaration)
The invention relates to a pharmaceutical automation system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system having a plurality of hoppers to efficiently guide tablets to a tablet packaging unit.
An automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system is generally provided with a tablet packaging portion and a tablet dropping portion placed above the packaging portion. The tablet dropping portion includes a plurality of tablet cassettes containing different sets of tablets. In order to facilitate tablet cassette installation and replacement, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-105201 discloses sliding cabinets with tablet cassettes vertically stacked. However, the Japanese disclosure has a drawback where it takes too much time to check tablet amount in each cassette and refill the cassettes.
The present invention is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system having slider cabinets together with a plurality of hoppers to substantially save labor required for tablet cassette refill. Another object of the present invention is to substantially increase capacity of housing tablet cassettes in the system while facilitating management efficiency of the system. A further object is to decrease tablet impact on an inner surface of each hopper during tablet descent from tablet cassettes, by optimally differentiating horizontal levels of the hoppers.
To achieve these and other objects, the tablet supplying and packaging system according to the present invention comprises a tablet dropping unit having door cabinets and slider cabinets. The door cabinets are linearly aligned and swiveled to each side portion of the tablet dropping unit to serve as a front double door of the table dropping unit. The slider cabinets are horizontally aligned in rear of the door cabinets such that each longer side surface of the slider cabinets becomes perpendicular to each rear surface of the door cabinet. The slider cabinets are linearly slidable to move back and forth so that the forward sliding (toward the door cabinet) of the slider cabinets can be effected when the door cabinets are swung open, whereby the slider cabinets are selectively pulled out through a space reserved by opening the door cabinets.
In a preferred version, a plurality of tablet cassettes each containing therein and dropping therefrom a predetermined type of tablets are detachably racked in said each cabinet in columns and rows. A slider cabinet hopper below the slider cabinets to guide down the tablets from the cassettes in the slider cabinets. A door cabinet hopper below the door cabinets to guide down the tablets from the cassettes in the slider cabinets, and the slider cabinet hopper is horizontally aligned with the door cabinet hopper.
A middle hopper to guide down the tablets from the slide and door cabinets hoppers. A tray unit below the door cabinet hopper and adjacent to the middle hopper, wherein the tray unit has a tray partitioned to releasably hold therein extra types of tablets, wherein the extra types of tablets are selectively released in accordance with a conveyer belt mechanism. The tray is horizontally pulled out from the system to open for spreading therein the extra types of tablets.
For a better performance, a lower hopper below the tray unit and the middle hopper to guide down the tablets from the tray unit and the middle hopper, and a main hopper below the lower hopper to guide down the tablets from the lower hopper. A packaging unit adjacent to the main hopper to package the tablets from the main hopper into tablet containing paper bags.
The advantages of the present invention are numerous in that: (1) the automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system allows the cabinets differentiated in angles to be formed so as to optimally diversify horizontal levels thereof, thereby substantially decreasing tablet impact on an inner surface of each hopper during tablet descent from tablet cassettes; (2) the system enable a system operator or a pharmacist to substantially save labor required for tablet cassette refill by placing frequently demanded tablet cassettes in front door cabinets and less frequently demanded tablets cassettes in rear of the front door cabinets working in a sliding mechanism; and (3) the system substantially increases capacity of housing tablet cassettes in the system while facilitating management efficiency of the system.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the full understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.